Secret of Mana
In-Depth: Magic Leveling Up FAQs
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/ -= Information -= /
====================
>> Author: Jeff Decker
>> Nick: Xi
>> Version: 3.1.1
>> Updated: Sept 20, 2008
>> Profile: http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/11749.html
*** NOTE: Check my GameFAQs.com contributor page for current information
before contacting me. Sometimes my contact information changes.
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/ -= Index -= /
==============
1. About the FAQ
>> Introduction
>> Copyright
>> Email Policy
>> Revisions/Versions
2. Basic FAQs
>> Elementals
>> Mana Seeds
>> Magic Level
>> Rhythm
>> Where to Level Up
>> Super Magic
3. Sprite
4. Girl
5. Credits
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/ 1. About the FAQ /
===================
This section provides information about why it was made, the copyright
information, and the latest revisions/versions of the file.
>> Introduction (aka: why it was made)
================
Secret of Mana has always been a great game. It was probably the first or one
of the first RPGs I played. I know it was the first game by SquareSoft that I
had played. I know as a little kid I played this game hours and hours on end
with others.
The original version of this FAQ was written in one day. I was sitting here
while sick, playing Secret of Mana, and I realized that there has to be
faster ways to level up magic. I knew some little tricks, but I really
started to do some research about it, and I found a couple of other tricks
that seem to work well. Every second seems to count when attempting to level
up magic, because you have to cast so many times. Shaving off a couple of
seconds off of every cast can save you a half an hour in the long run.
>> Copyright
=============
This document was originally created to be posted at GameFAQs.com, but I have
decided to change the license of this work to allow it to be posted on other
sites as of September 20, 2008.
Except where otherwise noted, content in this document is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
For more information on this license please visit:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
I will ask that if you use this text anywhere that please contact me. My
current info is always on:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/11749.html
>> Email Policy
================
I have noticed that sometimes I get emails about information that is already
explained in the FAQ or questions about the game. Please notice this FAQ is
only about magic leveling up and not about where to find the elements or
anything that is already covered in a walkthrough of the game. If you have
questions about how to get through the game, then check out one of the
walkthrough FAQs.
Please only email me if you have a question about magic leveling up or you
think you have found something about magic leveling up that hasn't already
been covered in the FAQs. You will be credited for providing new information!
*** NOTE: Check my contributor page at GameFAQs.com for my current contact
information in case it has changed since this version of this FAQ!!!
>> Revisions/Versions
======================
v3.1.1 (09/20/2008) Changed copyright license.
v3.1: (05/20/2003) Added email policy; Super Magic sub in Basic FAQ section.
More information about magic level about it being able to reach 8:99.
v3.0: (12/02/2002) Changed the line width to 78 characters. Changed index.
v2.0: Added information about rhythm and using the Midget Mallet to mini
yourself. Also changed some of the layout of the FAQ and changed the section
"About this document" to "Revisions". All of these updates were done on June
14, 2002.
v1.0: Started the FAQ on October 24, 2001. This was the first complete
version of the FAQ and completed on the same day.
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/ 2. Basic FAQs /
================
There are some basic FAQs that you should know about leveling up magic for
the Sprite or for the Girl.
Overview: Elementals; Mana Seeds; Magic Level; Rhythm; Where To Level Up
>> Elementals
==============
There are a total of eight elementals that come along to help you. Each of
them has a different power they give and each of them has three spells. Think
of when you are casting a spell that you are actually casting that elemental.
>> Mana Seeds
==============
How many Mana Seeds you have, otherwise known as your Mana Power, is the
maximum level you can get your elementals up to. (e.g. If you have only
released one Mana Seed, then you can only get all of your elementals up to
level 1.)
>> Magic Level
===============
When you look on Magic Skill page, you will see all of the elementals for
that person; with a number next to them that looks something like this:
1:15
Most likely it will be a different number though. The first number or the
number that is left of the colon is the current level that elemental is at.
The number to the right is the percent is it to the next level. So I look at
the number above as being at level 1 and 15% to level 2.
The percent to the next level increases every time that elemental is
summoned. When you are at lower levels the percent will increase faster then
when you get to later levels.
Your magic level can reach to a max of 8:99 after collecting all 8 Mana
seeds. (Thanks to <ChibiTenshiko@aol.com> for reminding me that this wasn't
in here.)
>> Rhythm
==========
Most of leveling up spells is rhythm; rather then how fast you can hit the
buttons. If you go into the ring too fast, you will not be able to cast the
spell until they have completed summoning the elemental.
* Tip: You can use the Midge Mallet to minimize yourself and that will cut
back on your recovery time as well (Thanks to "Jeremy Miranda"
<tonpole@hotmail.com>).
>> Where to Level Up
=====================
Most likely the best place to level up is the Wind Palace. There you can get
your MP refilled for free, and when standing inside of the Wind Palace, your
weapons are out so the Girl will be gaining the full amount of percent each
time she summons an elemental.
>> Super Magic
===============
After you get all 8 Mana seeds and have leveled up an elemental to level 8,
sometimes you might notice that after you cast a spell, the screen will
freeze and the spell will be stronger than normal. This is what I call "Super
Magic".
After an elemental is above level 8, the closer that elemental gets to 8:99,
the high the chance for super magic to occur.
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/ 3. Sprite /
============
The Sprite has attack magic given to him from the Elementals. One of the
first steps to leveling up magic is to know what all of the spells do. It is
also important to know what is probably the best spell to use from each
elemental. I have marked the one that I normally use to level up with, with a
*.
Spell MP use Description
Undine (water) --------------------------------------------------------
*Freeze 2mp Causes a freezing ice storm.
Acid Storm 3mp Acid rain lowers enemy's defense.
Energy Absorb 2mp Takes away enemy's HP.
Gnome (earth) ---------------------------------------------------------
Earth Slide 3mp Covers enemies in rock slide.
Gem Missile 2mp Rains jagged diamonds on Enemies.
*Speed Down 1mp Lowers Evade X and slows attack.
Sylphid (wind) --------------------------------------------------------
Air Blast 2mp Wind-burn damages the enemies.
Thunderbolt 4mp Strikes the enemies with lightning.
*Silence 2mp Confuses the enemies.
Salamando (fire) ------------------------------------------------------
Fireball 2mp Sends fireballs at enemies.
Exploder 4mp An explosion rocks the enemies.
*Lava Wave 3mp Magma engulfs the enemies.
Shade (dark) ----------------------------------------------------------
Evil Gate 8mp Wave of darkness hits the enemies.
*Dark Force 2mp Enemy's energy explodes.
Dispel Magic 4mp Sets enemy's gauge to 0/halts magic
Luna (moon) -----------------------------------------------------------
Change Form 5mp Transforms enemy to weaker level.
*Magic Absorb 1mp Takes enemy's MP.
Lunar Magic 8mp Makes enemy/you do curious things.
Dryad (life) ----------------------------------------------------------
*Sleep Flower 2mp Lulls enemies to sleep.
Burst 5mp Hidden energy strikes enemies.
As you can tell, it is usually the spell that uses the least amount of MP
that I normally use to power up with. This is sometimes because it is the
spell with the least MP and that allows you to cast it more times before you
need to refill your MP somehow.
There are exceptions of course. If you look at Salamando, I normally use Lava
Wave, which uses one more MP then Fireball. This is because of the repetition
factor, which is something I will explain.
Repetition Factor: The ability to cast over and over again on the same enemy
before destroying it.
There are a couple of things that will help you achieve this. First of all,
if you are trying to level up the Sprite's magic, be someone other then the
Sprite. I prefer to be the boy. That way I can usually control both the
Sprite and the Girl easily.
Now find an enemy and choose an elemental that you want to level up. Go into
the Sprite's magic ring by hitting the "X" button and select a spell with
good repetition factor. Cast the spell on the enemy. You will see the
elemental appear as the Sprite summons it. Right when the elemental
disappears from the screen, hit the "X" button again, go into the Sprite's
magic ring and select the same spell and the same enemy, and cast it again.
You will see the elemental appear and at the moment it disappears hit the "X"
button again and repeat the process.
You should see what I am talking about. Your spells will be hitting the
enemy, but you will not be giving time for the damage to show up on the
enemy. This will make it so you are not killing the enemy and saving you time
in having the search for more enemies to cast on. Once you run out of magic,
or if you slow down in your casting, it will add up all of your hits and do
that damage to the enemy.
This is the fastest way I have known to level up the magic on the Sprite.
Another tip to give out is that of Luna's Magic Absorb. This is an important
spell to level up and when you get low on magic, you can use this so you do
not have to travel all the way back to an inn to refill your MP.
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/ 4. Girl /
==========
The Girl receives recovery and indirect magic from the elementals. Generally
the Girl is easier to level up her magic since you do not have to travel
around too much to do so. There are some important things to know about
leveling up the Girl's magic however. I will start with her a list of her
spells, though.
Spell MP use Description
Undine (water) --------------------------------------------------------
Ice Saber 2mp Weapons gain the power of water!
Remedy 1mp Recovers status.
Cure Water 2mp Recovers HP.
Gnome (earth) ---------------------------------------------------------
Stone Saber 4mp Weapons gain the power to petrify.
Speed Up 3mp Raises evade X and speeds attack.
Defender 2mp Raises defense/decreases damage.
Sylphid (wind) --------------------------------------------------------
Thunder Saber 3mp Weapons gain the power of wind!
Balloon 2mp Lowers wisdom/confuses enemies.
Analyzer 1mp Detects traps/enemy's weak point.
Salamando (fire) ------------------------------------------------------
Flame Saber 2mp Weapons gain the power of fire!
Fire Bouquet 3mp Scalds enemy/lowers battle power.
Blaze Wall 4mp A wall of fire engulfs the enemies.
Lumina (light) --------------------------------------------------------
Light Saber 5mp Weapons gain the power of light!
Lucent Beam 8mp Evil foe hit with pure light.
Lucid Barrier 4mp Protection from weapon attacks.
Luna (moon) -----------------------------------------------------------
Moon Saber 3mp Weapons gain the power to take HP!
Lunar Boost 2mp Raises battle power.
Moon Energy 2mp Raises critical hit X.
Dryad (life) ----------------------------------------------------------
Revivifier 10mp Sends the reaper running.
Wall 6mp Makes a barrier to ward off magic.
Generally when leveling up the Girl's magic, you want to use the spell with
the least amount of MP used for casting it. Some spells do need to target
enemies however, so use the same strategy as I gave for the Sprite for those
spells.
Also it is important that you are in an area where you weapons are out when
you are leveling up the Girl's magic. If you weapons are not out, your
percent to the next level will only go up half as fast as it would when your
weapons are out.
You also want to use somewhat of the same idea as I told you with the Sprite.
You want to be able to cast as fast as possible. I suggest changing to the
Boy. Then going into the Girl's ring with the "X" button and selecting the
elemental you are going to level up. Then cast it, but only cast it on the
Sprite. Once the elemental disappears, hit the "X" button and cast the spell
again only on the Sprite. This will make it so you can cast a lot faster then
if you cast it on the whole party.
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/ 5. Credits /
=============
I would like to thank Jeremy Miranda <tonpole@hotmail.com> for the
information about using the Midge Mallet for cutting back on recovery time.
Also thanks to <ChibiTenshiko@aol.com> for reminding me about magic levels
going up to 8:99.
Thanks for everyone that has taken the time to look at my FAQs! (I know it's
lame, but I had to do it!)
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/ Content under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License /
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